Iliana Marintcheva, Bulgaria, working in Peacekeeping Missions in former Yugoslavia.
Olga Vuksa - Police Chief in Sarajevo
Tilly Stroosnijder, a woman with missions
UN Mission - Maria Dolores in Eastern Timor
UN-Mission - Maria Dolores Iribarne Perez Kosovo
Ljiljana Sakic, Officer with the Sarajevo Police, and co-operating with the Peacekeeping Task Forces.
(Mrs Sakic wrote a number of books about her work; the last one was published in 2002 with the title: "How I was securing Brigitte Monhaupt")
I joined the police in 1975. The first five years of my career I was working in the Traffick Department. During that period I had the opportunity to get tested on other demanding and responsible tasks; with a few colleagues I was appointed as a guard of one of the most wanted female criminals of that time, Brigitte Monhaupt. During that time I was also a student at the faculty of Politics and Science. After graduation I first worked for four months on the street and then got a promotion; I became the first female inspector in (ex) Yugoslavia. I spent the following eleven years in the Traffick Department. The traffic problems are huge and this was a demanding, responsible and complicated job.Traffic jams, accidents, parking problems, offences are just a few subjects you have to deal with on a daily basis. For a woman it was even harder as I and my female colleagues had to prove that we could come up to the expectations of our mail collaboraters. You have to gain respect and you can not afford to do things wrong; it has to be right in the first place. For any position in the police world a woman has to work twice as hard.I suppose I did well as I received several medallions and prices as a recognition of my efforts.
When I started, back in 1975 the police force just had a few women doing administrative duties. The first years that the academy was opened for women, the choice of becoming a police officer arised from the fact that women could not find the job in the workingfield they were trained for. This resulted in a lack of motivation and ambition and above all, doubts. Insufficient knowledge causes insecurity and even fear of failure.
Due to the arrival and help of an international police force represented by IPTF, EUPM and other peacekeeping organisations,the number of applications of women who want to join the police is increasing.This female presence is an absolutely must as it broadens the outlook and persective of the police force as a whole. In regard to this we have to focus on the extension of the number of policewomen by organising courses and seminars and other training activities; create conditions of educational nature, and establish the conditions so that female officers can, in accordance with their education and experience, perform the same duties and have the same responsibilities as their male colleagues. In this particular field, ENP can be the driving force that could support the establishment of a female network within the BiH Police service.Next to this help, we should try to organise meetings and trainings in order to get in contact with other policewomen and exchange experiences. If we can achieve these goals, and in this manner get more exposure to the outside, I am certain together we can make this profession more visible and clear from a woman's point of view!
|
|
|
|
|
I have been on different missions in BiH since january 2001. I first started as a part of the IPTF, and since January 2003 I am working for the EUPM. The first mission I was involved with, was in banja Luka. I was the Co-Locater for the Blood and Sex Department. I visited crime scenes of several suicide and homicide cases. I was shocked by the depression and lack of desire to go on living with the local population. Although it was a logical consequence after living in a war situation, I could not overcome the fact that people could put an end to their lives so easily. However it indicates how bad the situation actually was in the beginning. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and think about it.
For three months I also covered the Drugs and Smuggling Department and saw a lot of interesting cases of how inventive people can be dealing with a lack of equipment. I was impressed by the way the local police teams dealt with difficulties. I had some of the most memorable times of my life in my first mission. What I enjoyed most, other than work,was the beautiful country side, the local women and their beauty and pride.(Due to the war the ratio of women to men was twelve to one!) Most of of my freetime I spend with my colleagues.
At the moment I am stationed in Brcko as an officer of the EUPM. The Brcko District, which covers around 493 square kilometres, nestles in the center of a valley along the Sava river in northeastern BiH. Since 8th March 2000, when the Brcko District Statute was enacted, it has been a single administrative unit under the exclusive sovereignity of BiH. It has an executive Mayor and multi-ethnic police department and an independent judiciary.Instead of working individually with the police teams and inspectors, we are working together with local Chiefs on a macro level; we have to create a new European Police Force, and so we are monitoring and mentoring the local Police, giving advice how things should be restructed in order to comply with international/EU requirements and law enforcement agencies. This goal will not be so easy to achieve, however, I am optimistic that we will, eventually reach it. Since I picked up the Serbian language quite easily, the making of contacts with the local population is developing very rapidly.
Time is flying and soon this mission will be ending for me, but I hope my presence here contributed to the reconstruction and development of this beautiful country. I also hope that my next mission will become a fact soon, because you get addicted to this kind of police work and it really is a great addiction!!
|
|
|
|
|
I became a Police officer by coincidence, as I was looking for a job to support my family, but ' fell in love' with it as soon as I joined the force, and it immediately became a way of living to me. As any young Police Officer I expected a lot of my work; to fight crime and make my town a safer place to live in. After the basic training I worked for five years as an ordinary Police Officer, and through this scholing and experience, my career went on in a positive direction and I was appointed in a high ranked position in the Crime Department.
The history of female Police Officers in Sarajevo go back as far as the seventees: then for the first time you could see uniformed policewomen, performing their duties in the traffick department.
I remember, as a little girl, I looked at these women with great admiration. In spite of all the differences and difficulties this new position of a woman in a man's world entailed, these pioneers opened the door for the newcomers through the years.
Nowedays women are present in all layers of the organisation, such as the Police Inspectoriat and the Crime Department. There are even a few women who have the status of chief of a Police Department and Commander. In the beginning of this long developing process, our male colleagues looked at us with lot of restraint and suspicion and saw this intergration as a neccessary burden, but this is slowly changing; they become aware of the fact that, by showing them our capability, and adding our skills from a female point of view, we gained the respect we deserved of them. It would be extremely important that female officers share their experiences with the newcomers, not only with women but with all the new cadets, so that the awareness will grow, that men and women can do the job on an equal basis, and that they can learn from eachother.
That's why, it would be a great step forward if we could manage to establish a network for policewomen within the Police organisations in Bosnia Herzegovia, so that women can meet and exchange information and experiences, solving problems we meet in the discharge of our duties and implement them. For example, women have sometimes more difficulty handling their emotions; if you can learn from eachother to coop with these feelings, the way to develop your career will be a lot easier. The coming of foreign Policewomen to Sarajevo as members of the IPTF, EUPM, helped a lot to see things in an other perspective. These officers are helping us by transfering their experiences, and to show us we can implement our female perspective into our developing society, and that we, as women do not need the limitations as they are imposed by our male colleagues. If we follow our own experiences and try to stay in contact with our sisters in the field we can gain a lot; This should be the purpose for existence of the police; a reflection of our ever changing society.
|
|
|
|
|
One of ENP's Boardmembers, Tilly Stroosnijder, is working as a policewoman in Dutch service, in peacekeeping operations. ENP assists Tilly through the ENP website in order to establish a database of women who want, or have been participating in these missions, so they are able to inform women who are interested in this workingfield or want to share their experiences. Here is her own story:
"It took me two years to find the road and I hope that your way into missions will be much easier and shorter through ENP's website in which you will find participants, soul mates, information and support; don't hesitate to use it".
I am a Civilian Policewomen form the Netherlands and for the last 3 years I have been working in different mission areas. I started to find a job within Mission areas about 5 years ago. It looked like a 'Mission Impossible'. The civilian Dutch Police was not working in Peacekeeping Operations at that time. It took me 2 years to create a road into the world of Missions and finally I had success. It was through a major coincidence that I was on the right time at the right spot. The Military Police of the Netherlands was willing to let me work for 4 years in different missions under the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence. First I received 1 month intensively introduction training within the Military Police. Then I went through different mission courses and I was physical and mentally checked. After all this I could finally start on my first Mission. At that time I was an exception in the Dutch Police force; I was the only policewomen who went with this kind of concept/mandate into Mission areas. Finally I could do what I intended to do: working as a police officer in Peacekeeping Operations.
My first mission was in Albania for the West European Union. My home base was Tirana, the capital city of Albania. I worked in the department Quality Control. My job was to interview senior and junior Albanian police officers throughout Albania. This involved travelling through various parts of the country for research. We had to plan the fieldwork visits because of safety reasons and sometimes we had to cancel a visit for these same reasons. Travelling in Albania was amazing; It seemed to me as if we were travelling through different time zones and centuries. When I write this down I still see the pictures in front of my eyes. The country of Albania is really very beautiful; the Adriatic Sea and the coastline until Greece is one I will never forget. You have the huge mountains with their villages were blood revenge is still existing and where the police is not allowed to come. Travelling was also very exhausting because the roads were mostly sand roads and they were in very bad condition. The driving style of the Albanian is quite different from our way of driving, and within two weeks I had my first accident in which the opposite party claimed I was guilty. He immediately demanded some money and within 3 seconds people were gathering around our cars, pointing and yelling. It took a while when my interpreter came to assist me and then the problem was quickly solved and I was relieved that we could leave the spot without paying money. Later I heard that some locals are earning their living with this kind of accidents. They create accidents with foreigners and let them pay cash.
This mission was not so extensive and after a couple of months you knew a lot of colleagues and we were one big family. I was living in a small flat together with two other male colleagues. Everyday we were running against time, because we only had certain hours we could use electricity and use a hot shower. The view out of our apartment was one of broken houses, but after a while we were getting used to it. I also made contact with the population in the neighbourhood and after I learned a few words of Albanian the contacts developt into friendships.
When we visited the police stations in the field we were sometimes shocked under which circumstances our local police officers were working. This can't be described by words and I will not try doing so either. But what I can say is that these police officers deserve my respect. The results of our visits and of our interviews and questionnaires were analyzed and compiled in evaluations reports. The analyses, material, documents and records were put into several databases so we could control the work and act based on these facts in the field. After the field missions we consulted and gave advises from, and to different disciplines in order to improve the circumstances and training for the local police.
Time was flying and I left the mission with mixed feelings but I knew that my next mission was coming up very soon. I didn't know my next destination, but my presentiment was right; 2 months later I started my second mission in Bosnia for the United Nations.
The International Police Task Force Mission in Bosnia was totally different from my mission in Albania. In this UN mission 2000 International police officers representing 45 countries were working throughout Bosnia: Pakistan, India, Egypt, China and many other nationalities. After 7 days of introduction training on history, law, UN mandate, Human rights, I started to work in the MHQ in the department Human Rights as project manager for Domestic Violence in the capital city Sarajevo. I was working on the ninth floor and the view out of my office was overseeing Sarajevo. The UN building was huge and in the beginning I was frequently loosing my way.
As the coordinator of the DV project I tried to create a project what would increase the awareness of this, mostly, invisible crime. As in most countries, the issue of domestic violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was not something that attracts open discussion or debate. We also faced the fact that BiH is a Patriarchal society and the dominant person in the family is traditionally the male. The subject was considered taboo and it was not deemed appropriate to discuss such matters between husband and wife or the family with outsiders. Although the trauma of war, the consequences of forced migration, separation of the family support system, unemployment, financial and other difficulties might be the cause for an increase of domestic violence, these reasons are not covering the entire issue. Domestic Violence exists in the whole world and is an International world problem.
The main objective in our project of BIH was to achieve a strong platform against Domestic Violence within the BIH society in order to achieve a change of mentality on Domestic Violence and to increase the awareness on the subject. The other part was that all network partners like Courts, NGO's, police, social workers, media and health care authorities were taking personal responsibility in their own field and that they would cooperate with governmental and non governmental partners in order to survey the victims in the BIH society, so that the victims should get the help they need and that they would have a choice in Domestic Violence incidents. Overall the victim should feel safe and protected by the organisations which are dealing in this issue in the front line.
Again I had to travel a lot throughout Bosnia and saw various parts of the country for performing the necessary research. I met all counter parties who were involved in this project. We provided them with information on the legal aspects which included precise definitions; applicable laws; differences between the law as prevailing in the Republika Srpska and the Federation; and International law. Additionally, we gave the local police tools and guidelines in English and the local language.
It was a major job and the project would take longer as that my mission would be. I remember this mission as a mission with a lot of challenges. I left in the middle of the implementation phase but it was a great experience. I felt as if I had to leave without finishing it, but I also realised that it was time to go and to take a break until my next mission probably…..again in Bosnia.
My third Mission was again in Bosnia for the United Nations and I was working in the Operation room of the MHQ. Although it was an interesting job because of the information flow and structure of the UN it was a job I wouldn't prefer to do anymore, because I missed the contact with the local population. Every day I was working with papers, faxes and e-mails and that is not really the job I prefer, but that can also be part of a mission. This mission was the second in Sarajevo, so I was lucky in the sense of meeting old friends and colleagues. I also knew the area and that was a big advantage. It was as if I prolonged my second mission in the third one. The difference was just my position.
Currently I am working on my first assignment for the European Union which is again in Bosnia. I work in the crime department of the capital city Sarajevo of Bosnia. This is my fourth mission and I must say that I catched a kind of 'mission virus' as I want to continue my work in mission areas as a civilian International. We are monitoring, advising and controlling the middle management of the Local Police in Bosnia on their programs and their projects concerning crime. We also do some projects on Trafficking and Domestic Violence. In this crime unit I am working with 3 different nationalities, Italian, Spanish and British international colleagues. The mission started in January and we are still building it up. Next to this job I focus myself as the focal point for the European Network Policewomen on: 'Women in mission areas concerning gender mainstreaming issues'.
Tilly Stroosnijder
Beneath you'll find some links regarding this subject:
|
|
|
|
|
When I agreed to go to Eastern Timor I never expected the experience to be so hard and cruel. First of all, I had to partcipate in a training session in Darwin, Australia, where I was instructed about the land and its people. I was informed about living conditions, such as insects and diseases. I was also taught how to survive in the jungle, but what I did not expect were the weather conditions; the heat and the humidity undermine your condition, both mentally and physically. In Darwin I begun realising how warm and sticky the weather in that part of the world was and how it affected your work.
After a week of training we flew to Dili, the capital of Eastern Timor. The first thing I noticed by arrival was that the people seemed to be waiting for the United Nations. We were with a group of 50 civilian police officers from Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. There were only three(!) women in our group, two from Australia and myself. We spend two days in Dili and then we were deployed to some villages near Dili. I went to Liquisa, 32 kilometres west of Dili on the coast. The ten of us rented a house which had no kitchen or bathroom, and existed only out of one big room. When I needed to wash myself I went into a small room in the back and told the others to keep out. The toilet was a just a whole in the floor.
Every day we worked for twelve hours and in the evening I spent my time reading or exchanging experiences with my fellow UN colleagues. In Liquisa there was hardly any food to get. At the local market one could only buy some rice, bananas and seeds. We decided to ask the landlady to cook our meals but she was only able to do this in the evening. basicalli we ate bananas and white rice for three months.
The most important part of the job was to help the UN volenteers with the registration of people and preparing the referendum in Eastern Timor that was to be held on 30th August 1999. Every morning at 6, I picked up the interpreter and two or three volenteers and visited villages in the mountains or the jungle. They explained the meaning and importance of the referendum to the local people. The purpose of the referendum was to let the people decide if they wanted a special autonomy within the Indonesian Republic, or if they wanted complete independence. When I was performing this task, I realised that many of them did not understand the meaning of this referendum; All they wanted was to live in peace. These people went through bad times when they were "colonized" by the Indonesians. The most important thing now was to create the proper environment for them to take part in this referendum.
From the beginning we had been informed about the social and political situation.The Indonesian Police and Army had two sides; They tried to do their best when they were witnesed by the UN, but as soon as we were out of sight the intimidation and cruelties begun. On the 4th of July the first major incident with the Indonesian Militia took place; We were attacked by them on the beach in Liquisa and they tried to kill the intepreters. Two Indonesian Police Officers were present but dit nothing to stop the attack. After a few hours we were evacuated to Dili by the Special forces of the Indonesian Police. We stayed in Dili for five days without the opportuniy to change clothes or to wash ourselfs properly. After that we returned to Liquisa. The UN High Commissioner obliged us to continue working and living there, but our volenteers did not return. The UN found another group volenteers and we carried on with our work.
The referendum took place as planned on 30th August, but even before the results were known the situation begun to get more dangerous; riots took place and in Liquisa the pro-autonomy Militia was everywhere. The Roads were blocked and the Militia stopped every car, incuding those of the UN. I knew all men who cotrolled those roadblocks, as all of them lived in Liquisa. I also knew their wives and children, so I did not think I had anything to be afraid of. The UN Headquartesr advised all personnel to get ready for possible evacuattion. After 1st September the the situation became worse. Dili was taken by the Militia, there was shooting and destruction everywhere. The UN employees in several villages were attacked.The Indonesian Police and Army could not guarantee our safety anymore.
On 4th September, the Liquisa Civilian Police was waiting for us at our base. The UN had given the order to leave the town, but all roads were blocked and nobody was permitted to drive. From about 12.00 hours in the afternoon we saw houses being set on fire. The sky was covered with smoke. At 4 pm we were attacked by both the Militia and the Indonesian Police who fired there automatic weapons at us. One of the American UN employees, Rob, pushed me in one of the cars and all of us could get away. we drove towards the beach and tried to seek cover in an Indonesian Police building but were blocked. Nick, from the U.K., used the radio to ask for help. I remember his voice as he shouted: "They are attacking us, they are shooting at us! ". I don't know how long it took, but when we finally reached the Police station, a colleague told me to hide under the windows. I took a glimps outside and saw our cars; broken windows, bullit holes in the doors and flat tyres. In the corridor I saw blood on the floor. Someone said that Earl, an American colleague, had been injured. He had two gunshot wounds in his back. We asked the UN Headquarters in Dili for help. Eventually we were evacuatedby two helicopters. In Dili we were surrounded by gunfire day and night. When the Militia attacked the nearby compound, about 800 refugees escaped and tried to get into the buildings of the UN. They jumped against the fence and threw their children and babies over the fence. I will never forget that sight. There was shooting going on all the time. The following day the UN decided on a mass evacuation to Darwin.
I lost all my belongings, but I think we saved lives and with our efforts the people of Eatern Timor had the opportunity to decide on their own future. So it was all worth while!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
By Anita Wieman Coordinator/Policy Worker ENP Head Office
After her 1999 missions in Croatia and East Timor our General Board Member Ms. Maria Dolores Iribarne Perez "Lola" was sent in July 2000 to Kosovo, her third UN Mission. The duration of this mission was one year.
As preparation she received brief training at the OSCE (Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe) headquarters situated in Vienna/Austria.
On 11th July she arrived at Pristina, the capital of Kosovo with approx. 200.000 inhabitants.
Further intensive training provided the necessary information about the province, the society and the existing security.
Lola was deployed at the General Policing Department and her main task was to teach on the of subjects Human Rights, Human Dignity and Crime Investigation, in order to establish a solid law enforcement organisation which acts according the UN-rules.
The entire learning programme consisted of more than 25 subjects including the practical lessons. Further to this the cirrucilum has to be evaluated regularly, and where necessary, the learning programme adjusted.
The classes were given in the English language and 2 assistants translated the material into the Albanian and Serbian language and vice versa.
Lola had many international colleagues from around the world for example USA - UK - France - Croatia - Belgium - Sweden - Norway - Finland - Canada and they all had the same goal: Teaching the Kosovars how important a law enforcement organisation is.
At the time of her arrival there was no municipality. This started to change after the elections of October last year, but this gives an indication of the problems she was faced with for implementing new procedures. It is very important not only to achieve a different approach but also a mental change of attitude.
During her mission Lola lived in Pristina and worked at the Kosovo Service School in Vushtrri (Albanian name) - Vuctrn (Serbian name), a town with approx. 50.000 inhabitants, situated 28 Km north of Pristina. Almost all students lived in the Kosovo Service School from Monday till Friday.
The living conditions were contrasting throughout the year; in Summer temperatures were more than 40 degrees and she was regularly faced with a lack of water, and during the winter there was often no electricity available for days, meaning no hot showers, warm food or even coffee.
However, despite these hard living conditions Lola considered her experiences during her mission in Kosovo as very beneficial.
Last January she received the Kosovo UN-medal as recognition of her work in Kosovo as CIVPOL, and after her return in Spain she was also rewarded by her Police Organisation with the Spanish Police White Cross medal.
|
|
|
|
|